


Cubes

by RainbowArches



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Akela Feels, Autism, Gen, I Believe in Jasper Sitwell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 12:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2548268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowArches/pseuds/RainbowArches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mission makes Akela think of her parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cubes

                A perfect, clean white sheet of paper, and twelve perfect, straight black lines, forming a cube in the middle. Akela was never more careful than when she was doing this. 3D shapes on a 2D surface; the coolest thing ever. Coulson was kind enough to let her borrow his office when she needed time to herself. It was the best place to do this.

               

It was a strange mission; different from the others. She didn’t even have to beat anyone up. She just needed to talk to a kid, get information from her. She was the soft touch this time. That’s what Coulson called it; soft touch. Akela’s not sure that’s what it was. She saw how the others were handling her. They were soft, too, but they weren’t thinking right. She just knew better than the others this time. She tried not to be smug about it.

               

Carefully, slowly, she coloured the cube pink. She slipped it into the big envelope; folding it into a small envelope would be wrong. That was her mom done. Now for her dad.

               

She heard the door open and close. “What’s this?” Jasper asked from behind her.

               

“A cube.” She didn’t look up. She had to concentrate.

               

“What for?”

               

“Guess I’m just homesick.”

               

Jasper moved around the desk and sat in Coulson’s chair. He folded his hands in front of him and put on his therapist act. “Why do you draw cubes when you’re homesick?”

               

Akela didn’t answer until she finished drawing the cube. “They’re for my parents. They like them.”

               

Jasper put his hands under his chin. “Is this about the mission today?”

               

Akela remembered she should probably ask. “How is she?”

               

“She’s fine. May’s taking her to her aunt’s. They get along surprisingly well.”

               

“Because May doesn’t talk and likes others to not talk.”

               

“I figured that was it.”

               

Jasper seemed to be done talking for the time being, so Akela set to work colouring the cube green.

               

“So what made you so good with her?”

               

Akela sighed inwardly. He’ll have to wait until she’s finished. They have to be perfect. “I played with her,” she said as she slipped the sheet into its own big envelope. “I didn’t make her play with me.”

               

“Ah. I see. You have experience then?”

               

Akela studied him for a moment. “Okay, I probably don’t have to tell you this, but for the record, having experience with autism doesn’t make me the autism whisperer. They’re individuals. You can’t relate to all autistic people the same way.”

               

“Understood. What _did_ make you so good with her?”

               

Akela shrugged. “Nothing. I sorted dinosaurs with her until she was ready to talk.”

               

“You were patient. You waited.”

               

“If you tell me I made a breakthrough, I’ll leave.”

               

Jasper raised his hands defensively. “Hey, not me. That’s Coulson’s job. But I can’t help but make connections here. A mission with an autistic girl makes you homesick, so you’re drawing cubes for you parents. Are your parents autistic?”

               

“Yes.”

               

“Huh. I just realised I’ve been falling for the Rain Man all-size-fits-all image.”

               

“Easy enough. Now you know better.” Akela didn’t understand that reference at all, but figured she knew what he was trying to say.

               

“Thanks for not beating me for my ignorance.”

               

“Practice makes perfect.” That’s why she liked Jasper. He never assumed he knew better. He never insisted he was right. If he was wrong, he wanted to know so that he could be right the next time. Not like everyone who told her that her parents weren’t parenting her correctly. “Wanna come with me to mail these?”

               

“Sure. Why cubes?”

 

“Depth and perspective. They look like magic.”

 

“You know Coulson will give you time off if you want to go home for a little while. You should take the weekend.”

               

“Yeah. Maybe.”


End file.
